Also keep in mind that of the 8 factions in Endless Space 2 only 4 were returning, and only 6 of 12 were returning factions if you include the DLC.  So there's a good chance that we'll be seeing a lot of completely new factions in EL2.

With that said, there is a very high probability that the Vaulters will show up since they've been in every Endless Space/Legend game thus far.

Firstly.
I really hope the Cultitsts of the Eternal End come back. My fave.
Secondly.
How is it possible that no one has noticed that the Human Faction is, extremely clearly, the United Empire in some weird primitive splinter form? It Literally has THE SAME FRIGGING ICON GUYS!

Is it me or there was no UE in Legends ? The "humans from the stars" were the Mezari/Vaulters, right ? But maybe EL2 is set in the present of the ES/ES2 timeline, which is after EL ? (In ES 1&2, Auriga is destroyed in both games, no ?)

I wonder how factions or recreations of factions evolved there. This was a great thing to discover for ES2, a lot of the lore was "shown, not told" (tm game design of a lot of wonderfull videogame or roleplaying games)

UE could be those "humans from the stars" here, then EL2 would tell new things in the future of the Endless universe. This is fascinating :)

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Kweel_Nakashyn wrote:

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PetMagmaCube wrote:

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Kweel_Nakashyn wrote:

Is it me or there was no UE in Legends ? The "humans from the stars" were the Mezari/Vaulters, right ? But maybe EL2 is set in the present of the ES/ES2 timeline, which is after EL ? (In ES 1&2, Auriga is destroyed in both games, no ?)

I wonder how factions or recreations of factions evolved there. This was a great thing to discover for ES2, a lot of the lore was "shown, not told" (tm game design of a lot of wonderfull videogame or roleplaying games)

UE could be those "humans from the stars" here, then EL2 would tell new things in the future of the Endless universe. This is fascinating :)

The Merzari are UE (more or less) before they were united, But other than that there wasn't any UE.

P.S. I think that I saw a roving clans member.

I think the Mezari are the special troops & bodyguards of the Emperor of UE in ES. Vaulters are a dissident faction of Mezari I think, and Pilgrims are a dissident faction of the UE.
I'd love the Roving Clans to come back, I'm sure they would in a form or another.

Since there's renewed interest in Endless Mezan groups, here's some useful links!

Most of the information in the following links is still relevant, other than the repeated mistatement that the Vaulters find Mezan (that was my mistake), any human factions (UE, Vaulters, Nakalim) can find it. I'm a bit limited to posts I commented on/responded too, as it's difficult to find others. They're generally organized chronologically, so the newest information/discussion is towards the top. 

1. The History of Humans in the Endless Franchise

2. Attempt to trace the history and timeline of the United Empire (a fantastic summarization by @KnightofPhoenix and some great clarifications by @Slowhands)

3. Lore/timeline questions on Vaulters/Mezzari/United Empire 

4. Sisters of mercy origins

5. Lore: Timeline, Raians and United Empire

6. Some question about timelife (Vaulters DLC spoilers) (Slowhands responses/clarifications) 

7. Lore: Clarification, Horatio's Origins [SPOILERS]

8. Lore question lifespans 

9. What is the difference between Mezari and The Vaulters?

10. Lore questions ?

Going to do my best to avoid diving into lore spoilers that you'll learn after EL2's release (there's plenty of fun stuff). 

TLDR: The Mezari are the precursors to (nearly) all explicitly (if it's human in a DnD sense) human(oid) offshoot civilizations within the Endless Universe. This includes the Raians (and their respective offshoots, Pilgrims, Sheredyn, Neo-Mezari) of the United Empire, the Vaulters (including the Foundlings and Bereaved), Horatio (and his many clones), the Sisters of Mercy, Cultists, Roving Clans, (and other EL factions, but I'm rustier on those). I'm leaving the Nakalim out as I can't remember their lore well enough to be sure, but they're also as old as the Endless, which is where the lore gets much murkier. 

You can think of the various human factions similar to how many Mediterranean states can trace their heritage (in one way or another) back to the Graeco-Romans. While the journeys they took to get to where they are in ES2/EL/EL2/DotE/ED are all different, they share a form of common heritage. 

It's also important to know (it was stated in one of the above links) that ES1 canon is largely overwritten/retconned by ES2 canon. While I prefer the multiversal idea that they exist parallel, if we're to be stringent, then any information from ES2 that conflicts with ES1 generally overrules it. So the Sheredyn are explicitly the elite military wing of the United Empire, the Neo-Mezari (UE quest choice) is a heritage that your version of the UE can promote over it's other competing visions/heritages, and you're correct, the Pilgrims are an exiled group originating in the United Empire (with the coolest human ships in the game)

As for EL2. They're cool. That's all ya'll need to know.